


Eldia für alle Ewigkeith

by The_Changamire



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ackerman Clan, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - World War I, Azumabito Clan, Eldia (Shingeki no Kyojin), F/M, For Want of a Nail, Historia and Eren are Queen and King of the Walls, Hizuru (Shingeki no Kyojin), Marley (Shingeki no Kyojin), Mid-East Alliance, Monarch Eren Yeager, Monarch Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss, Multi, Paradis Island (Shingeki no Kyojin), basically WW1 in AOTverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27078109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Changamire/pseuds/The_Changamire
Summary: Eldia will not go gently into that good night.Several months after the end of the Great Titan War, the 145th Fritz King is eaten before he can impose his Will upon the Founder, and the fate of the Empire changes for the better.Over a hundred later, the Kingdom of Paradis prepares to make war on Marley, spearheaded by Queen-Founder Historia Reiss and King-Consort Eren Jaeger.
Relationships: Hitch Dreyse/Marlo Sand | Marlowe Freudenberg, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Eren Yeager, Mina Carolina/Thomas Wagner
Comments: 64
Kudos: 204





	1. Prologue

**_"Do not go gentle into that good night." -_ ** _Dylan Thomas_

* * *

_ Jahr Unseres Gründers c.743 _

_ Paradis Island _

It was clear to all who had survived the exodus from the Mainland that Eldia was in its death throes.

The Nine Titans were gone, their noble families seized and devoured by enemies and traitors alike, or turned traitor themselves. The Empire had fallen into near-nothingness, leaving only a remote island outpost on the edge of the Empire’s maps in Eldia’s possession. Thousands, if not _millions_ of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, fellow Subjects of Ymir, had been left behind to the mercies of Eldia’s age-old enemies and formers vassals as the few forewarned fled to the far-flung island border of the Empire.

Worse still, the state itself was on the verge of collapse. Of the noble bloodlines and allies of Eldia, only the main branch of the Fritz Royal family and several families from the Hizurese Shogunate remained to govern what was left of the crumbling Empire. The 145th Fritz King  _ (the Coward King _ , some had begun to call him,  _ and rightfully so _ , others murmured behind closed doors) refused to leave his chambers in the new capital of Mithras, and the castle grounds had been closed off to the both common folk and the remaining aristocracy, cutting off any news pertaining to the other members of the Royal family. Not to mention, what remained of the Royal Army would in no way be enough to fend off any retaliatory invasions from either the traitor families or their former vassals, chief among them the Marleyans.

As it was, the military was had already fallen into a state of chaos, and several factions had formed in the confusion in the absence of the King-Founder or any Royal decrees, each vying for a general to replace the one that had fallen on the Mainland.

Yet still, the Fritz King did nothing-- nothing but brood away in his palace and send messages to the Mainland. And while he festered, the people grew angry.  _ Who was he, this Coward King _ , decriers would shout,  _ who would give away the Empire without a fight? Who would abandon our kin, the Children of Ymir, to the mercies of our enemies? _

For indeed, Karl Fritz had done just that. He had stood back and let the noble Great Houses of Eldia war amongst each other, doing nothing as villages were destroyed, ignored as his subjects were eaten alive, and turned a blind eye as former vassals rebelled. The only action Karl Fritz actually took was to denounce the Great Houses responsible for the war, declare the abdication of the Empire’s continental holdings, and commanded thousands to be boarded upon ships to ferry them from the Mainland.

The people had accepted it then, due to the fact that the Great Titan War and the liberation wars in between were dangerously gaining proximity to the coastal territories, but now?

They could no longer do so, but what could they do? The only powers that could conceivable combat the Founder were now in enemy hands. Any rebellion would end in Titanization, a fate reserved only for the worst and for those sentence to the King’s Justice.

Thankfully, the people of Paradis would not endure Karl Fritz’s injustices for long.

Four months after the mass-exodus from the Mainland, citizens in the new capital reported sounds of fighting from inside the King’s palace, fighting which continued until the next day, upon which the Crown Prince of Eldia, Cardel Fritz, emerged from the depths of the palace, and convened court for the first time since the mass exodus.

It was at this court that Prince Cardel explained to the awaiting aristocrats and reporters the events that had led up the fighting, and what had prompted such violence. He has stood before the assembly, opened his mouth to speak, before clamping his eyes shut in despair and gritting his teeth in anger.

“We have been betrayed, Eldia, by mine own father,” he cried out in anguished rage. “Karl Fritz has betrayed us. The King has betrayed us.”

Silence his met his words, and Cardel Fritz took the time to collect himself and do his duty and lead his people.

As the Crown Prince of Eldia explained with great detail the plans laid out for Eldia by the 145th Fritz King, the assembled court, even the sons and daughters of the Shogunate, raged and seethed-- for betrayal was not taken lightly in the Empire…

...but  _ never _ in living history had the Empire been betrayed by its own King. 

Of course, once the people heard what the Prince had to say, they too nearly fell into the violence that had overcome the King’s palace, and they bayed for Fritz blood.. It was only due to the fact that the Prince had come out unarmed and had prostrated himself before them in deference to their judgement that cooler heads prevailed.

With the truth now made known to the public, the common folk were dismissed from the assembly for the aristocracy and the Crown Prince to converse in privacy, and t was quickly decided that crowning a new King-Founder would be paramount for the Empire to regain stability. When asked by one of the sons of the Shogunate of the whereabout and status of the Coward King, Cardel’s eyes darkened.

“After coming upon his plans and correspondences with the Tyburs, I had him drugged into his sleep. He will never see daylight again.”

“And what of the Founder?” another aristocrat asked, and Cardel grimaced. “As the eldest, it falls to me to inherit its powers, and I must do so before my fa-- the Coward King regains consciousness enough to follow through with his plans. The sooner, the better.”

Those were the last words spoke by Crown Prince Cardel, as he was quickly ushered towards the underground cavern that held the disgraced and unconscious Coward King. As soon as the proper ceremonies had been seen to, the Crown Prince was injected with the Ymirblood and transformers.

Karl Fritz awoke just in time to find himself being devoured. The Coward King had screamed, then--

\--but those screams were just as suddenly cut off by his spine getting torn in two. 

The Titanized Crown Prince eagerly devoured the remains, before slumping over. Those present rushed to pull him out of the nape, and check for any injuries or any meddling done by the Coward King, and were relieved to find that, when Cardel emerged from the Titan’s nape, he was smiling.

“The First King’s Will is undone,” he murmured, before speaking loudly. “The Founder is uncompromised. The Coward King did not taint it.”

There were many a cheer and sighs of relief at that, although the new King of Eldia did not notice, a distant look in his eyes.

“...Who’s memories are these?”

He did not know, but…

_ These memories… this scenery, it… it looks...  _

The memories looked bright.

* * *

_ Jahr Unseres Gründers c.851 _

_ Mithras City, Paradis Island _

“The Nation of Marley is at war.”

Those seven words uttered from the lips of the Queen-founder did not, unsurprisingly, silence any in the room-- for they had already been silent

For all present knew that this was no ordinary assembly of state. 

No.

This was a war council.

“This has been confirmed, Queen Historia?” an officer asked, and received a reply in the form of a nod from the Queen and the attention of the King-Consort. “Our embassy in Hizuru have confirmed that the International Congress was called,” King Eren stated. “War was officially declared there by the Mid-East Alliance, though the fighting started two months before with a naval engagement off the coast of the Vatanlar Peninsula.”

There was a low murmuring, before the Lord Ackerman voiced himself, “Who won, anyways?”

At that, the Queen-Founder’s lips quirked upwards. “The Mid-East Alliance delivered a resounding defeat to Marley’s naval forces before beginning a land campaign against their border territories in Frikaana . The win was theirs.”

A smattering of applause and cheers erupted with the news, though it was dampened by the Queen’s next words. “But… what the Alliance has in technological advancements compared to Marley, our enemy still reigns supreme in every land-based engagement. They still have out Titans.”

“However, those Titans are currently campaigning against the Alliance.” Erwin Smith stood from his seat by the other Heads of Branch, letting his voice ring. “The military is ready, and our own navy is as prepared as it will ever be. The time to strike is soon, if not now.” The Feldmarschall’s declaration was met with the thumping of mugs against tables and yet more cheers, though they yet again quieted when both the Queen-Founder and King-Consort turned to the Heads of Branch.

“Is this the opinion of the Armed Forces, Feldmarschall?” Historia asked, and Erwin nodded, before ceding the floor to the Oberbefehlshaber, Darius Zackely, who also nodded. “This is the decision that the Heads of Branch have settled upon, Queen Historia, King Jaeger.”

Turning to the other members of the assembly, the King-Consort studied them with emerald eyes. “Is this also the will of the people?” he asked, and Eren was met with unified cry of various offerings and agreements. 

With the will of the people confirmed, the two monarchs nodded, then rose, before joining hands and speaking two words in unison, setting into motion plans that had been in place for over a century.

“Alright, then.”

Silence permeated for a moment, before the assembly descended into a joyous uproar.

The long awaited time had come at last.

The reconquest of the Empire was upon them.


	2. End of the Battle, Start of the War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War in the East comes to a close, but the conflict is not over.

_Jahr Unseres Gründers c.854_

_Fort Slava, Vatanlar Peninsula_

“To think it’s take three years to squash this alliance… We’ve fallen far, haven’t we?”

Those thoughts, spoken aloud by one Theo Magath, while disappointing, seemed to be leaning on the truth. Half a century ago, no nation in the world would even think of challenging the full might of Maerly’s empire, in no small way due to the Titan Powers that they had acquired during the Great Titan War.

Now, though?

Now it had become increasingly clear to the nations of the world that technology was advancing and improving, even to the point of surpassing the powers that Marley boasted-- The few anti-Titan artillery that the Mid-East Alliance had produced had caught their forces off-guard in the Battle of Gökhan and had won them the day, despite the presence of both the Female and Jaw Titans. No matter how brief that victory was (and it was brief indeed-- they had launched a counterattack within twenty-four hours of the initial fallback and had destroyed the artillery encampment), a message had been sent out into the international community proclaiming; “Behold! Even the Great Titans can be brought low!” to all the nations of the Earth.

The response was almost immediate and disastrous for Marley; while no new nations entered the war on either the side of Marley and her allies, or the nations of the Mid-East Alliance, public sentiment, which had never been in Marley’s favor (due to their aggressive expansion policy, something that Magath was no great admirer of) now flowed completely in the favor of the Mid-East Alliance, so much so that the colonies in the Meiriceás were starting to see unrest due to remnants of the defeated native armies rallying support.

That had been just a year ago, and the Premier had ordered the military to end the current conflict as quickly as possible, so what else was there to do but do as commanded? He was right, in any case; the wrapping up of this war was and still is crucial to Marley's stability.

_To think we’re fighting this war because of those Island Devils…_

He hated to think about it, but it was the truth regardless. Three years ago, Marley had announced to the world their intended mission to Paradis Island to retrieve the Founding Titan and render an Eldian attack obsolete, though that was just a pretext for invading the Island for its resources. Upon releasing that statement, there were some nations who cheered and encouraged them for it, but others were horrified, having no wish to seemingly provoke the last bastion of Eldia into carrying through with the 145th Fritz King’s threat. The nations of the Mid-East Alliance were amongst the most vocal against this, and threatened war should Marley continue with preparations for the internationally dubbed ‘Paradis Island Operation.’

The threat was met with laughter in many circles of the government-- it had been decades since an empire, alliance, or nation had actually declared war on Marley and went on the offensive successfully. Marley was unbeatable, after all. The largest world power, and the holder of seven of the Nine Titans.

Of course, High Command hadn’t realized at the time that the Titan Powers did not apply to naval warfare.

That was a lesson they had learned nearly too late after the Allies had smashed their fleet off the coast of Marley’s possessions in Vatanlar and began their land campaign. While they gradually lost the ground they had made in the beginning of the war, they continued to win every battle fought on the water until the navy finally managed to corner them due to dumb luck and destroy the main bulk of the enemy ships with their superior firepower (not due to Marley’s naval technology, which was lacking in many areas, but due to the fact that Marley simply had more ships than the Allied did). Only then did the war effort start to change in their favor, and it had all led to here. 

Fort Slava. The last main stronghold of the Mid-East Alliance, currently housing nearly all their leadership. There were, of course, other strongholds elsewhere in the rest of the Mid-East, but they were of no true concern-- all of the Alliance’s remaining naval might was docked in the harbor beneath Slava, which made it a crucial target in capturing, and the last one needed to end the war.

As it was, the battle was going well. The Warrior Unit that Magath commanded had arrived to reinforce the trenches two days ago, and had helped set up artillery pieces and had led several charges up the hill in an attempt to advance and to deter the Allies from sallying forth. Though they hadn’t made much headway since, that was soon to change.

_The Para-Warrior Airborne Division should be arriving today. With Zeke and his Titans, not to mention Vice-Kommandant Braun, we’ll rain destruction from above. If we force the Allies back with the Jaw and Cart Titans, they’ll be forced into a killing ground._

_If it wasn’t for that damned train…_

The armored train, outfitted with both modern artillery pieces as well as the Mid-East’s anti-Titan artillery steamed around the fort in such a way that Marley’s forces had been forced to hold at a specific point, not to mention that they couldn’t deploy their Titans due to the risk of losing them to enemy shelling. 

So long as that train was there, Fort Slava would stand, and that could not be allowed.

Nearby, a group of Eldians were wiped out by a shell that ame screaming at them, and Magath winced, before growling lowly in annoyance. “Gott-damned Easterners--”

“Kommandant Magath!”

Theo was halfway to pulling his sidearm out of its holster before he realized that he wasn’t being set upon by a surprise attack, and was only being called out by one of the Eldians under his command. Turning to the arriving Eldian, Magath raised an eyebrow. “Kriegerin Grice, what word from the front?”

Colt Grice opened his mouth to respond, only for the whistle of another shell to silence his words, and he flinched, grimaced, then continued. “Sir, digging another trench closer to the fort is impossible with the fire we’re taking, almost half my unit was wiped out!”

“Do you have enough men to try take the pillbox just ahead, and detonate the tracks with munitions?”

“No, Kommandant. We would be gunned down before even getting close. And even if we got close enough, the train’s artillery would wipe us out. If we don’t move, we may well still be!”

Magath frowned at that; Colt was one of the brightest men under his command, one that, if he were not an Eldian, Magath would wave no problem promoting to a higher rank. If he thought that the Kriegerin Einheit would be wiped out if the recall wasn’t sounded, then that was likely their fate. “Damn. Do you have any ideas on how to bypass those problems?” Magath asked. 

Colt had to think on that for a moment, but nodded. “Send out the Titans, sir. They can overwhelm the pillbox and upturn the train.”

_Ah, if only he was of Marley’s blood_ , Magath lamented, but shook his head. “It’s a good idea, Kriegerin, but I’m not willing to risk our remaining Titans lost to that artillery, especially with the Female Titan out of commission and the Colossal stationed overseas to garrison our holdings in the Meiriceás.” He turned back towards the fort, and the tracks in the distance, before gritting his teeth in frustration. “We have no choice. Prepare the soldiers for a general advance.”

“B-but, Kommandant Magath--!” Colt started, but Magath quickly cut him off. “Chin up, soldier. Is this the kind of attitude that someone worthy of the Beast Titan should express?” The commander paused for a moment, before continuing. “I know the casualties we’ll take will be horrendous, but we need to destroy that rail.”

“Sir, let me do it. I’ll destroy that rail.”

Both men blinked as a new voice entered the conversation, and turned to look at the Eldian girl standing before them, steel in her eyes.

Magath, frowning, questioned the warrior. “And how do you intend to do that, Kriegerin Braun?”

Gabi Braun hesitated for a moment, before responding. “It will only work if I take off my uniform. Permission to remove my armband, Kommandant?”

The Kriegerin Einheit commander thought on it for a moment. Gabi was one of the brightest warriors, set to inherit the Armored Titan from her cousin when his allotted time was up. On one hand, he would hate to lose her to enemy fire, but on the other hand, one life was better than a thousand.

Theo Magath nodded. “Permission granted. Best of luck, warrior.”

“Sir.”

With that, the girl scampered away, a confident grin etched on her face, and Magath hid another sigh. Colt, on the other hand, had an inquisitive expression on his face. “The use of plainclothes soldiers on the battlefield is a violation of International Law, isn’t it?”

The commander shrugged. “It's only a warcrime if someone survives to report it.”

Colt thought on that, then shrugged, content to watch Gabi follow through with her plan, which, miraculously, actually worked. The derailed train crashed to a halt below a second line of Allied trenches, and the warrior grinned alongside his commander.

Then his face morphed into horror as his youngest brother, Falco Grice, flung himself out of the trench and ran after her.

“FALCO! _Gottverdammt_ , brother--” Colt made to follow them into the warzone, going all the way as to actually fix his bayonet and climb the trench walls, and only faltered when Magath pulled him back with a steady hand. “Calm down, they’ll be alright, Grice.” The Kommandant pointed towards the pillbox, unconcerned. “The artillery has been silenced. The Titans are in play now. ”

And indeed they were; as soon as the Marleyan lines had seen the fall of the train, the Jaws Titan leapt up from a nearby trench system and shielded both exposed warriors from the enemy pillbox’s machine fire, before crushing it beneath his fists. Out of the corner of his eye, Magath could see the Cart Titan emerge from another trench, her Panzer Unit already blazing a path forwards, and the Kommandant knew that now was the time.

Turning away from the scene, he turned to one of his Marleyan underlings. “Major Koslow, radio the Airborne Unit, tell them they have the green light to engage!”

“Yes, sir!”

Then he turned to Colt, a grin on his face. “It’s time to end this war, Grice. Call a general advance!”

“Yes, Kommandant!” Colt saluted with a similar grin etched on his face.

_One way or another, this war will end today._

The advance was called, and with a thunderous warcry, the soldiers of Marley stormed up the hill.

* * *

_Go for the guns, Reiner._

That was his goal, and the holder of the Armored Titan thought he was doing it rather well, really.

The operation had been halted at first, due to the presence of the armored train, but with it’s derailment, nothing was stopping the Airborne Unit from raining death from above, and that is exactly what they did.

Reiner was the second-last to deploy, only leaving the airship after his Kriegshäuptling had begun the first phase of the aerial assault with a bombardment of falling Titans, damaging much of Fort Slava’s defenses and spreading terror in their ranks. Despite the century that had passed since the Fall of Eldia, Titans were still feared across the world, especially by the nations of the Mid-East Alliance.

_Ironic, really. The very reason they went to war against us is going to play in their defeat._

Reiner was feeling good about this. After a four year-long campaign, he could finally go home and rest, recuperate, and train for the Paradis Island Operation. They would retrieve the Coordinate, destroy the Wall Titans, eradicate the Island Devils, and save the world--

\--Those thoughts temporarily fled the Armored Titan’s mind as an anti-Titan shell grazed his arm. 

_Damn cannons!_

Letting out a roar, he ran headfirst into the wall holding the artillery, smashing it to pieces, only to notice another one he had missed aiming point blank at him.

_GOTTVERDAMMT--_

Before he could even think of futility raising his arms in defense, Marcel, having finished dealing with the enemies outside Fort Slava’s walls came to his rescue, smashing the artillery emplacement beneath his fist. Nodding his thanks, Reiner turned to set himself upon the rest, and together, the Armored and Jaw Titans brought Fort Slava to heel.

With that done, it was simply a matter of signaling to the Kriegshäuptling that it was time to descend, and Reiner did so with a roar.

Several moments later, his Kriegshäuptling appeared with a flash of lightning just outside Fort Slava, facing the ocean, and waved back at him.

**“Excellent work, Reiner, Marcel. Now, leave the rest to me.”**

With that, the Beast Titan grabbed at the earth, scooping up unused shells, rubble, and stones, before turning back to the ocean, and shifting into his pitching stance. He prepared, took aim, and--

The moment he let loose his barrage, thunderous booms echoed across the water below, and Reiner realized almost too late what it signified.

_Scheiße! Those were naval turrets!_

Before he knew it, the Armored Titan was moving to intercept the oncoming salvo.

He must have succeeded, because the last thing he remembered feeling before falling into darkness was the feeling of a thousand colossal punches smashing themselves against his armored being, the utter _pain_ those punches wrought, and the shocked expression on his Kriegshäuptling's furred face.

Then Reiner felt nothing, slipping into the blissful quiet of unconsciousness.

* * *

**WAR IN THE EAST OVER; MARLEY EMERGES VICTORIOUS!**

Even without looking at the headline of every major international newspaper worth its ink, one could easily tell that Ali-Riza Muhhidin was not a happy man, and that was to be expected.

After all, who would be happy with themselves when your nation and the allies it boasted had just lost the largest war in two decades, let alone a war fought against a hated enemy?

To think they had been fighting this war for the good of the world to save it from Marley’s hubris, ha! If Ali had known how this war was going to end, he would have let the Island Devils destroy them all-- at least that way, Marley would at last be on the receiving end of the Powers they used with such hypocrisy since the Great Titan War.

But, alas, that option had long passed. Fort Slava had fallen, and their main fleet destroyed. The Mid-East Alliance could rebuild, that Ali knew very well (even now, in distant shipyards further east, inland, or in sympathetic nations, new ships were being constructed and green recruits being trained) but such an endeavor would require time, and the Grand Vizier of the Osmanlı Empire knew that time was something the Mid-East Alliance no longer had. Marley had won, and no doubt the nations bordering them would be forced to concede land or be outright annexed entirely, and that alone would cripple the Alliance’s chance of rebuilding their war machine.

That is, of course, if the Mid-East Alliance managed to survive the coming weeks.

The Grand Vizier let out a bitter sigh at his nation’s fortune, before reluctantly refocusing on the documents before him. As they had lost, it would be they that would receive harsh demands, not the other way around, and so, here he was to sign them, alongside the other leaders of the Mid-East Alliance.

And that was what he was doing until his aide hastily entered the room with two telegrams in his hand, before passing them over to Ali in a rush.

Ali-Riza Muhhidin read the first one, then the next, and did nothing for several, digesting the information that had just been handed to him, his mind racing furiously at the new revelations delivered to his hand.

Then the Grand Vizier chuckled.

“Oh, how the tables have turned.”

Setting the papers on the table, atop the document he was in no rush to sign, Ali turned to his fellow leaders, who had perked up at the aide’s entrance. “Gentlemen, the game has changed. The war is not over. The fighting will continue.”

His voice broke the somber mood in the room, and Imraa al-Besha, Sultan of the Kingdom of Diaj Abul and longtime friend of his, looked to the Grand Vizier in surprise. “How so, Ali? Our men are demoralized, our people weary, our fleets smashed. Malik is being annexed as we speak! We are in no position to fight any war!”

“You are correct, my friend,” Ali acquiesced with a grin, “But, note, I did not say it was _we_ who will be fighting.” Then he handed the messages over to his fellow leaders, and watched with a smirk as their eyes widened.

“Oh,” al-Besha uttered. Then he snorted, and laughed, followed by the other leaders as the telegrams were passed around. “Well, at least we know our efforts weren’t in vain. We may have lost the war, but at least we were right!”

The room was silent for a moment more before once again bursting into laughter.

After all, what better way to celebrate your nation’s defeat than finding out that the ancient enemy of your enemy had resurfaced in force?

Oh, how the tables had turned indeed.

* * *

Despite the victory Marley had obtained, and the official end of the War in the East, the mood inside the room was anything but celebratory.

The officers of Marley sat in foreboding silence within the ruins of the harbor city below Fort Slava, watching as the Oberbefehlshaber stared at the newspaper in his hands with fury in his eyes before at last, Calvi Freisler threw the paper onto the the table before them in anger.

“In the four years of this War in the East, time and time again we’ve experienced setbacks, mostly at sea. By Gott, it’s only thanks to a _mistake_ that we caught their fleet off guard!” Oberbefehlshaber Calvi’s glare shifted to the Hochadmiral, who stared back defiantly, the fool. Nonetheless, the Supreme Commander continued. “Yes, we’ve managed to destroy the last remnant of their Grand Fleet, but at the cost of the world’s perception of Marleyan invincibility.”

Picking up the international newspaper, the Oberbefehlshaber read its subheading out loud, to the discomfort of everyone in the room. “‘Human intellect finally vanquished the Armored Titan of Marley.’ Every other country worth any influence on a global scale is reprinting this, and crediting the felling of the Armored Titan to the gottdamned _Easterners_!”

Slamming the paper down again, Calvi let out a sigh, before resuming his gaze. “We may have won this war physically, but it is the Allies who have psychologically. The armor that has shielded Marley is broken.” Turning, he faced the commander of the Kriegerin Einheit with a grimace in this face. “What do you make of this, Kommandat Magath? What do you feel must be done?”

Calvi knew Magath, and recognized him as one of the exceptional men under his command, and the Oberbefehlshaber had every intention of naming Theo as his candidate for the position he currently held. Calvi also knew that Magath would not shy away from the tough questions, and that attitude was something that Marley very much needed at the moment.

Said commander grimaced also as he thought on what to say, and when he had found his words, Theo answered. 

“Oberbefehlshaber… I believe the time has finally come. This is the era where mankind will overcome the power of the Titans.”

The air in the room grew somber as Magath continued his examination of the current state of the world, and every man of the Oberkommando leaned in as to not miss anything, only for the Hochadmiral to rear back in anger as the Kommandant focused on him.

“The second largest theater of this conflict took place on the sea, where our Titans could not be effectively utilized, if they could be used at all, that it. To compare the strengths of our navy and the Mid-East’s would be like comparing a horse to a panzer.”

Hochadmiral Christoff Straus stood up in anger at the perceived slight. “Are you claiming that the navy is responsible for Marley’s loss in prestige? You would blame me for our shortcomings?!” he growled in anger, but Theo only shrugged.

“Not all of them, no.”

“Why, you--!”

“Enough,” Calvi sighed, before turning back to the Kommandant. “Continue, Magath.”

The Kommandant nodded his thanks to the general before continuing. “The fact is boil down to this; the Titan Powers in our possession are becoming obsolete. That is the crisis we find ourselves in. In our aggressive expansion policy, we’ve made enemies of every bordering nation, both here and abroad by our overseas territories. While our record of victorious engagements fought on land remains true, what is also true is that we as a nation focused on using the Titans in our possession to conquer and expand since the Fall of the Eldian Empire, whereas countries who would seek to oppose us have been funneling funds into military technology and development for almost as long, and the anti-Titan artillery proves this.” 

Then Magath turned his head to the sky, a contemplative look on his face. “But, one day, when aircraft technology develops to its peak, we will be able to rain bombs from hundreds of meters away. One that day, it is the sky that will become the battlefield, and our Titans will only be able to watch as the heavens move.”

There was an oddly peaceful moment of silence as the officers of the Oberkommando turned to look at the sky, pondering on just what the future held.

It was only when the Zeke Jaeger spoke up that that the men returned their gazes from the possible future and brought them back tot he present. “If what Kommandant Magath says is true, and I do believe it is, then it is paramount that we enact the Paradis Island Operation as soon as possible. While regular Titans, and even our Shifters may be approaching obsoletion, the Founding Titan never will. If we are to maintain our hegemony on the world, we must retrieve the Coordinate from the Island Devils. That is why the Mid-East Alliance went to war against us, right?”

The Kriegshäuptling’s suggestion was met with nods and murmurs from the other men in the room, and Calvi nodded. “Yes, that would be prudent to do indeed, ‘Miracle Child.’ The sooner we do that, the better. How soon do you think your Warriors can depart for the Island?”

“Maybe two months of recuperation, Oberbefehlshaber. Then we can begin. We need not that many supplies, only a single ship and enough supplies for the chosen Warriors to reach the Walls without issue,” the Warchief responded.

“Zeke speaks truly, Oberbefehlshaber,” Magath agreed. “As soon as we--”

The Kommandant was suddenly cut off by the muffled sound of laughter coming from another room, the same one the leaders of the Mid-East Alliance were currently quartered in signing the official ceasefire documents and post-war terms. _Laughter? What do the Easterners have to laugh about? They just lost, for Helos’ sake!_

The officers of Marley shared confused looks, only to swivel their heads towards the door as it burst open, and a wide-eyed telegraph operator entered, several messages in her hand. “Oberbefehlshaber! Urgent messages from the motherland, sir!”

Standing up, Calvi quickly took the messages before nodding to the woman to leave, and began to read them silently, and as he did so, he paled. Then, at last, he folded the telegrams and sat down again, shaking, and he relayed the news brought to him. “Gentlemen… the conflict is not over. At three-o’clock in the afternoon, the Empire of Hizuru officially declared war, before closing up their embassy in Osternau.”

Magath’s eyes raised in shock, and Colt, so surprised at the recent developments, spoke up for the first time. “Hizuru, sir?! They can’t possibly extend their military all the way over here, the Manchurese would attack them the instant their fleet left the Home Islands!”

Giving the Eldian a surprised but approving look, Calvi nodded. “And yet, declared war the Emperor has, not only on us, but on Mǎnzhōu as well.” The last part was in no way surprising-- even before the Fall of the Eldian Empire, the Manchurese and the Hizurese had held a hatred for each other which was only enflamed when Mǎnzhōu seized several islands from the fellow Oriental nation and slaughtered the members of the Shogunate’s ruling clan to the last, and war had been certain since.

It was the next bit of news that truly shocked them.

“An hour before that, the Oberkommando headquarters back in the capitol received another telegram from an unknown source.” Here, Calvi paused, and his hands shook slightly. Opening his mouth, he closed it soon after and simply deigned to hand out the last telegraph, and as the members of the Oberkommando read it, they too paled.

_Her Majesty's Royal Government informed the Marleyan Government in the Year of Our Founder c.743 that, if any act of war was committed against the remnants of Eldia, the tens of millions of Titans within the Walls would be unleashed upon the world to flatten the entire earth. Due to the fact that the 145th Fritz King was stripped of his titles and forcefully revoked of his Titan soon after this last correspondence, the threat of a Rumbling is no longer valid. No flattening shall take place._

_However, as you have, for the past century, disregarded this warning given in fairness and trust, as well as abused the Subjects of Ymir under your care, Her Majesty's Royal Government has, in accordance with International Law, formally notified the Marleyan Government that a state of war now exists between the the Kingdom of Paradis and the Nation of Marley, as of 1 p.m today._

_Office of Foreign Imperial Interests, Kingdom of Paradis_

_Year of Our Founder c.854_

A deathly silence permeated over the room, before Major Koslow broke into a worried chuckle. “S-surely... this is some kind of joke, yes?" When no one owned up to it, the man broke out into a sweat. "That's not possible! The Island Devils shouldn’t even have the technology to send such a message!”

Magath glared at the sheet of paper, and grit out an answer. “...I don’t think this is a joke, Major. No one would be foolish enough to do this, let alone for a prank.”

Calvi opened his mouth to interject--

\--only to be interrupted as the same telegram officer from before burst into the room with yet another message, looking terrified, and Calvi groaned.

“Good Gott, woman, what now?!” he cried out, and the woman paused in fright for a moment, before letting out her news at once, and all who heard it, especially the two Eldians in the room, paled.

It was a message that harbored the end of days.

"It's Liberio, sir! Liberio is under attack!”


	3. Blitzkrieg: Liberio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Reconquest begins.

_Jahr Unseres Gründers c.845_

_Port Slava, Vatanlar Peninsula_

Reiner blinked and found himself awake, laying on a cot. 

Shaking his head, the Shifter moved to position himself upright, all the while wracking his head for explanations as to how long he had been there. _Is the Warchief safe? What happened after the battle? I remember getting hit by shells, then…_

“Huh, you’re finally awake. Took you long enough, Reiner.”

The unexpected voice caught Reiner off-guard and his head jerked in its direction, notifying him of the second cot in the room where Annie lay, book in hand, eying him blankly, as per usual. Sighing away the brief tension and relaxing his shoulders, reiner stood completely from his bed and nodded to his fellow Warrior. “Annie, you’re okay. Good to see to that.” The last time he had seen Annie was before he’d set out to join the Airborne Unit to fight at Fort Slava whilst Annie recovered from her wounds.

“It’s good to see you too, Reiner. When they brought you in, I almost thought you might’ve died,” Annie greeted back, pulling herself from her cot as well and making for the door. “Anyways, breakfast was served about ten minutes ago. I’m sure if we head out now, we can catch the leftovers.” With that, Annie left the room, and Reiner quickly followed suit after changing into something more formal than his bedwear.

Padding down the stairs of what appeared to the the acquisition home of a former Eastern noble, Reiner walked himself over to the dining area where he heard friendly voices emitting from, only to be stopped in his tracks when a small blur erupted from the area and tackled him with a hug, burying her head in his chest. “Reiner! You’re okay!”

Reiner smiled, tooling his cousin’s hair lightly. “Hey, Gabi. Yeah, I’m fine, there’s no need to worry.”

His cousin looked up with an angry expression that took him aback for a moment. “Of course I worried, you idiot! Gabi scowled. “You threw yourself into giant bullets that could peirce your armor!”

“Would you rather I hadn’t?” Reiner asked her with a bemused look, and Gabi actually stopped and thought about it for a moment, before frowning. “...That was the only exception. The Warchief needed saving. But don’t do it again!” She poked his chest for emphasis, and Reiner laughed. “Alright, alright, I won’t.” His stomach rumbled slightly, cutting off any other words, and Reiner grinned sheepishly. “There’s still food left, I hope?”

Gabi blinked, then nodded and grinned. “Lots! C’mon!” Previous worries forgotten, Reiner’s cousin turned and started dragging Reiner towards the seating area and the Helos blessed scent that Reiner could smell emanating from the food. _Those Easterners really know their food._

Upon entering the eyesight of his fellow soldiers, Reiner was met with smiles and greetings from everyone (save Porco, but even he gave a nod of acknowledgment) and was finally given a plate loaded with Eastern delicacies before sitting down besides his fellow Vice-Kommandant, Marcel, who clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well done with saving the Warchief, Reiner,” he congratulated with a grin. “The Oberkommando was actually considering giving you the Iron Conch.”

Reiner blinked. The Iron Conch was one of the highest military honors a soldier with Eldian blood could ever receive. So far, only the Tyburs had ever been awarded with it. To consider someone else for it… “Really? I didn’t do much, you know. I literally just stood there.”

From the corner, laying languidly on the couch besides Porco, who was skimming a newspaper, Pieck chuckled. “Don’t sell yourself short, Reiner. If you hadn’t taken those shells, Zeke would be dead. Your armor saved you, thankfully.”

“Your armor may have saved you,” Porco spoke up, “but it broke, and with it, the fatherland’s reputation.” He flung his rolled up paper towards Reiner, who caught it easily. “Read that.”

Raising an eyebrow, Reiner complied, only for his eyes to widen as he beheld the headline and the picture underneath it. “...Oh.” 

_Well, fuck._

Porco snorted. “Yes. _Oh_.”

There was silence in the room for a moment before Falco spoke up from besides Gabi, Udo, and Zofia. “Colt and Zeke went to a meeting to discuss _that_ \--” he pointed at the paper in Reiner’s hands “--with the Oberkommando. Pretty sure the Eastern leaders are signing the peace agreements, too.”

“Thank Helos for that,” Udo praised before taking a bite out of an apple. “We can finally go home. _Gott_ , I can’t wait to sleep in an actual bed that’s not made out of concrete…”

“Pssh, it’s not the army’s fault that you’re a light sleeper, Udo. Sleep is for the weak,” Zofia teased, and Udo blinked before scowling. “Easy for you to say, since you don’t have to hear your own snores every night.”

“Hey!”

Before another argument could break out, Pieck stood up and began to usher the younger Warriors out the door. “You four need some fresh air, I think. I here the docks have a nice view.”

While the four protested, Marcel stood up as well. “I think we should all go, actually. It might help us unwind,” he noted, and the Reiner nodded at that. “Sounds fine to me. I can keep an eye on Gabi and make sure she doesn’t blow anything up.”

“And I’ll go to make sure you don’t do anything stupid, Marcel,” Porco spoke up, already following after Pieck, which did not pass unnoticed by Annie. “You sure that you’re not going to keep an eye on Pieck’s a--”

“No.”

Annie shrugged, and the Warriors made their way down the stairs and out the door--

\--only to find a mass panic taking place outside.

Soldiers were running everywhere, packing up as soon as possible. Vehicles moved about, preparing to depart, and officers in their automobiles drove up and down the road overseeing everything.The Easterners who had been spared by the war watched with bitter interest as the occupiers prepared to leave, and so did the Warriors.

As one officer passed, Marcel stepped forward and waved them, and they came to a stop before them. “What are you lot standing around for?! Get moving, Eldian scum! The Oberkommando gave the orders nearly a half-hour ago. We’re pulling out.”

“But, why the rush, sir?” Marcel called out, but the officer had already driven off to bark out more orders, leaving the confused and slightly worried Warriors behind. 

“Colt!”

Falco’s shout drew the others’ attention away from the bustle of Port Slava and towards another officer mobile cruising down the road, heralding the arrival of both the holder of the Beast and his heir. “Falco! What are you doing out here?” Colt clambered out of his seat and pulled his brother into a hug. “Thank Gott that they moved our families out…” he muttered under his breath, and Falco pulled back, frightened. “Colt, what’s happening? Are we being redeployed? Why?”

“That we are,” Zeke answered grimly, standing besides Colt. “We are to return to Marley with all haste. Malik will be returned to the Eastern Powers--”

“ _What?!_ ” Gabi cried indignantly

Porco swore. “ _Gottverdammt!_ Doesn’t High Command know how long we fought to take the damn place?! The casualties we took?! And their just _giving it back?!_ ”

“Tell me you’re joking, Zeke,” Annie glared, but the Warchief did not shake his head, only continuing. 

“--and we will link up with reinforcements in the southern baronies before marching on the east coast. This is the will of the Chancellor, and the reason is sound.”

“What is the reason, Zeke, Colt?” Pieck asked. “You never answered the why to Falco’s question…” the holder of the Cart trailed off when Zeke’s lips tightened and Colt gripped his brother slightly tighter. The two exchanged a shared look, and the alarm bells in Reiner’s head went off.

There was silence, then Zeke spoke.

And Reiner knew fear.

“Liberio is under attack.

The Island Devils are here.”

* * *

_Jahr Unseres Gründers c.845_

_Liberio, Continental Marley_

They were unprepared.

The war, so everyone had thought, was over. Fort Slava had fallen, the forces of the Mid-East Alliance had been crushed, and the Great Fleet of the East that had once terrified the people of marley now decorated the bottom of Vatanlar’s waters. Oh, how the city had celebrated when the news had arrived-- wine bottles had been opened with glee, food was distributed to even the poorest of souls, and the citizens of Liberio, both inside the Internment Zone and out, danced in the streets. Many of the soldiers who had been garrisoned the port and the few ships of the Überozeanflotte that the Hochadmiral had left behind cashed in on shore-leaves, visiting families, pubs, and the works, and why not? The war was over! They had won! Marley reigned supreme!

It was underneath this air of jubilation that the first shells began to fall upon the Überozeanflotte.

There was no chance to retaliate. The enemy navy had caught the ships stationed at Liberio at the worst possible moment, seeing as half the men and women (all trueborn Marleyans and quite a few Eldians) who were supposed to be on duty had decided to abscond for the day to join the victory celebrations, leaving no one qualified to man the naval turrets, and the vessels of the Überozeanflotte were left to be naught but defenseless, floating tombs

The ships sank without even a single shot fired in retaliation, and the battleships of the Kaiserliche Eldianische Marine sailed unopposed into the harbor.

* * *

Strapping on her Anti-Urban ODM Gear, Historia removed the crown on her head and handed it to Feldmarschall Erwin. “Hold on to that, will you? I won’t be needing it for a while.”

Erwin smiled, taking the crown from his Queen’s hand and nodding. “Of course, Your Grace.”

Historia blinked for a moment, then shook her head, an odd look on her face. “Gott, it still sounds so weird when you say it.”

“I imagine it would, seeing as I was your superior, once,” Erwin shrugged. “Going from soldier to Queen must have been quite jarring, but you’ve done a good job. Not a day goes by that I regret that coup.”

“Neither do I, your majesty.” Rita Iglehaut added, striding besides Erwin. “There’s a reason you’re part of the Pantheon, now. One does not become a goddess for nothing.

Historia smiled. “...I’m glad you see it that way. Eren’s done a lot to help as well-- it’s amazing how much his father learnt of the ins and outs of the nobility before… well.” Historia trailed off before shrugging, tightening the straps of her gear to her body. “Anyways, I’m losing focus, sorry.” Then the Queen stepped back, activating her gear and attaching the pulleys to the railing at the bow of the ship before pulling the line taunt. “Time to go.”

With a shout of _“Für das Gründerland!,”_ Erwin, Rita, and every other person on the deck, officers, sailors, and soldiers alike, saluted the Queen, and the monarch responded in turn with her own. 

“Widme deine Herzen!”

Queen Historia Reiss activated her ODM Gear and flung herself off the _Crown Prince Cardel_ with a shout of elation, a grin on her face.

It was time.

For a century, the monarchs of Eldia had prepared for this day, had planned and built and planned again. All for this very day, and it _was finally time_.

The Queen of the Walls slit her palm, and golden lightning rent the air.

And, for the first time since the Fall of the Empire, an enemy Titan waded onto Marley’s shores, with all of Eldia’s might behind her.

* * *

Chaos reigned.

When the first shells had begun to fall, the people of Liberio had almost let them pass unnoticed, so caught up in their revelry. Then the fuel tank of one of the Überozeanflotte battleships had detonated due to a direct hit, and the explosion rang through the air, fire visible to all, and the celebrations ceased.

The people fell silent. The dances halted. The music stopped.

Then there was a flash of lightning, and the screaming began.

The conquest of Liberio was as swift as it was unexpected. With the city’s Public Security Authorities having been uninformed and unprepared for such an assault and most of the Eldian militia having been sent east, the defenders could barely amass four-thousand soldiers to fight against the invaders, and while the soldiers of Marley knew not the numbers of their enemy, it was soon apparent that, whatever those numbers were, they vastly outnumbered the home guard.

Nonetheless, the officers would not have it said that they were cowards, so the order was given to prepare to skirmish. As per usual, the COs sent the Eldian conscripts in first, as was the norm.

That would be a mistake.

The Eldians did not make it within 50 meters before the enemy Titan roared, and all those soldiers simply dropped on the spot, seemingly unconscious, and though that frightened the front lines, the officer commanding what was left was undeterred and ordered them to keep shooting at the enemy, though it was all but futile-- the extremely rare few times a bullet managed to land a killing shot on one of the enemy’s flying soldiers (and oh, how that had horrified them to discover), it never seemed to kill them, only stalling said enemy for a moment before they continued on, though usually not without a retaliatory shot or explosive that more often than not landed.

To their credit, the soldiers of Marley continued their failing defensive, and only broke and ran when the Founding Titan lunged for them, screaming.

They did not get far.

* * *

The courtyard of Liberio’s military headquarters was in chaos. Soldiers ran about in a panic, and though Edol could not blame them. Hell, it was taking everything in him to not panic alongside his subordinates, but he held himself back. As the kommandant of Liberio’s home guard, it was up to him to lead his men through hard times in the absence of the Große Armee of Marley. He had never faltered before, and Edol would not falter now.

Scrambling atop a nearby ammunition crate, Edol let his voice heard. “Hear me, soldiers of Marley! Hear me!”

The pandemonium gradually died down as the soldiers, Marleyan and Eldian alike focused their attention on their kommandant, and finally having it, Edol spoke. “These are dire times, yes, but not all hope is lost! The Große Armee has been sent word, and when they return from the East, they will through these Island Devils back to sea!”

“But what of us?!” a Marleyan officer cried out, “they won’t make it in time to relieve us!”

“That is true,” Edol acknowledge grimly, “but in that, there is nothing we can do! Do you know what we _can_ do?! We can fight utill our final breaths!”

At the murmured acknowledgement rom the garrison, Edol continued, gaining fervor. “We are the first line of defense! The fatherland depends on us to fight here and now!” The murmurs had turned into shouts and warcries, and Edol gave an almost-maniac grin. “WE MAY DIE, BUT WE WILL DIE DOING OUR DUTY TO THE FATHER LAND-- _NAY_ , NOT JUST THE FATHERLAND-- _T_ _HE WORLD!_ ”

The soldiers of the homeguard were screaming themselves hoarse, now, and Edol’s grin widened, ignoring the shadow that cast itself over him. “TO ARMS, SOLDIERS OF MARLEY, TO A--”

**“I’ll admit, that was a pretty good speech.”**

Suddenly, with horrifying clarity, Edol realized why his soldiers were screaming.

He turned, and looked upwards.

And death stared down at him.

The Titan that loomed over him from outside the courtyard, the same that had horrified the garrison in place, scrutinized him with an indecipherable look on her oddly-beautiful (for a Titan) face.

Edol found he couldn’t move as the Titan’s right hand reached for, then grasped him in an iron hold, before said hand brought the home guard kommandant to the owner’s face. The Titan glared at him, and growled four words.

**“Surrender, and you live.”**

Edol did as death commanded.

And, just like that, Eldia once more had foot on the mainland.

* * *

**Information Bracket**

_Overview of the Kingdom of Paradis_

**Leader(s):**

Queen Historia Reiss, King-Consort Eren Jaeger

**Other known people of interest:**

Darius Zackley - _Oberbefehlshaber_ (Commander-in-Chief)

Dot Pixis - _Garnisonsgeneral_ (Garrison General)

Nile Dok - _Innenkommandant_ (Interior Commander)

Erwin Smith - He Who Dedicates, _Feldmarschall_ (Field Marshall)

Hanji Zoe - _Chefwissenschaftler_ (Head Scientist)

Rita Iglehaut - Harsh Mistress of the Sea, _Großadmiral_ (Grand Admiral)

Keith Shadis - _Auszubildender Kommandant_ (Trainee Commander)

Jinn Ackerman - _Akkāman Kyō_ (Lord Ackerman)

Matteo Beschützer - Herr Beschützer von Udynel (Lord Protector of Udynel)

**Objectives:**

  * The reconquest of the Mainland  
  

  * The annihilation/annexation of the Nation of Marley and Her territories  
  

  * Re-expansion of influence in other regions of the world  
  

  * The procurement of safe passage to Paradis and Her territories for all Subjects of Ymir  
  

  * To deliver the Queen’s Justice upon the Tybur Family  
  

  * The re-acquisition of the Seven Lost Titans  
  

  * The survival and continue prosperity of the Eldian Race  
  

  * The destruction of all life outside Paradis Island [UNDER REVIEW]<  
  




**Branches of the Armed Forces:**

  * The Vermessungskorps (The Survey Corps)  
  

  * The Founderliche Garnison (The Founding Garrison)  
  

  * The Innenpolizei (The Interior Police)  
  

  * The Kaiserliche Eldianische Marine (The Imperial Eldian Navy)  
  

  * Forschung und Entwicklung (Research and Development)  
  

  * Anti-Marylean Volunteers  
  

  * Wehrpflichtige Kriminelle (Criminal Conscripts)  
  




**Further assets:**

  * The Founding Titan  
  

  * The Attack Titan  
  

  * The Ackermans  
  

  * Walls _Maria_ , _Rose_ , and _Sina_  
  

  * The Peace of the Coward King  
  

  * The Rumbling [UNDER REVIEW]  
  

  * Inland shipyards  
  

  * Resources unique to Paradis Island  
  

  * Technologies unique to Paradis Island



**Official Allies:**

  * The Nation of Hizuru  
  

  * Several other deposed Governments-in-Exile  
  




**Unofficial Allies:**

  * The Anti-Marylean Volunteers  
  

  * The Eldian Restorationists  
  

  * House Beschützer (the Lord of Udynel)  
  




**Threats [UNDER REVIEW]:**

  * The Nation of Marley and her Allies  
  

  * The Tybur Family  
  

  * The lost Titan Powers  
  

  * The Mid-East Alliance [UNDER REVIEW]  
  

  * A Global Coalition [UNDER REVIEW]



**  
Faction Cohesion:**

Excellent. All dissidents to Queen Historia's rule were dealt with in the civil war, and all within the walls pays homage to the Founder and her King-Consort.


	4. Occupation

_Jahr Unseres Gründers c.845_

_Liberio, Continental Marley_

The Marleyan defense crumbled almost as soon as the Kommandant Edol of the Liberio Home Guard surrendered.

With the military headquarters of Liberio having fallen to the Eldian force, and with the majority of the surviving garrison having thrown down their arms, the city fell into Eldian hands with few casualties and no deaths at all for the Kingdom of Paradis. The first major battle the Kingdom had taken part in since the Fall of Udynel decades ago, and an astounding victory, at that. Once news made it home, there would be cheering in the street, Rita knew.

 _And we can thank the Queen for that, Founder bless us_ , Rita Iglehaut smiled. Oh, they could have taken the city even without the Founding Titan, thanks to their numbers and the element of surprise, but there would have been death to pay. Of course, the Queen fought with them and saved them a whole lot of bloodshed.

Regardless of her musings and _what-if_ 's, Liberio had surrendered. With the city having fallen, Eldia now had open access to the rest of Continental Marley, and even now her battleships now occupied the harbor and unload their cargo. Thousands of Eldian soldiers of the Vermessungskorps disembarked from their transports with the help of marines, quickly making their way to their assigned posts throughout the city or joining up with the expeditionary vanguard column. _That's Feldmarschall Erwin for you, huh? Efficient as always._

Shaking her head and shoving the thoughts aside, the Großadmiral of the Kaiserliche Eldianische Marine turned her attention back to deck below her, where her marines were fishing surviving enemy sailors from the water, those who had survived the bombardment, though she grimaced when she saw that almost all of them had an star-branded band on their arm. _More unwanted casualties… Thank the Founder the Queen healed them all. The last thing we want is our own people turning against us..._

"Großadmiral!"

Rita turned towards the caller as her Vizeadmiral, Mathias Kramer, strode up to her, a report in hand. Moving to meet him, a soft smile graced her lips. "Vizeadmiral Kramer. What news?"

Mathias snorted at the formality, handing her the paper with his own smile. "We're too familiar for you to call me only by rank, Großadmiral."

"Take your own advice then, Mathias!" she shot back with an amused tone, though that quickly faded as she glanced over the report. "...Right. Anyways, these orders are from the Feldmarschall?"

Mathias nodded, snapping back into his rank. "They are, ma'am. Liberio is secure for the most part. The POWs have been transported to several detainment facilities around the city, and Feldmarschall Erwin's column is ready to begin Operation: Rückeroberung. He's just waiting on the Queen's examination of…" Here, he grimaced, and turned away from Rita to face the city.

"...The ghetto, I assume," the Großadmiral growled. _And to think, Marley is one of the better country for our fellow Eldians to live in… Gottverdammt the Tyburs to the deepest pits of hell for this._ Cooling her anger, she turned towards the command deck, passing the paper back Mathias. "Well, we have our orders. Get those enemy sailors to the land troops and recall our marines. I want us out of the harbor in two hours at the most. The Marleyan fleet is going to come down hard on us, and I intend to meet them before they do."

At the order, the Vizeadmiral brought his fists into a salute. "Aye, Großadmiral!"

As her childhood friend marched off to do as she had commanded, Rita turned back out to gaze at the starlit sea, in the direction she knew where home lay, and the Harsh Mistress of the Sea gave a wicked grin.

"And so it begins."

* * *

Liberio's Internment Zone was quiet.

Historia supposed that was to be expected, seeing as the city of said Internment Zone had just been attacked by a force of Island Devils led by a Titan.

A Titan that was currently standing just outside the gates of the Internment Zone, peering into it over the gate. The Ruler of the Walls was in no way surprised to see the streets abandoned, though she supposed she should be thankful for the quiet- it made it easier for what she wished to do.

Historia felt something pinch into her shoulder and the telltale sound of someone's Anti-Urban ODM Gear, and soon enough, Erwin Smith had landed on her shoulder. "Queen Historia," the Feldmarschall greeted, and Historia nodded. " **Erwin. How is everything? Any complications I need to know about?"**

To her relief, Erwin shook his head. "None, thankfully. Most of the city's citizenry are holed up in their homes, no doubt waiting for a culling that will never come. There were a few wealthy citizens on the edge of the city who took their automobiles and fled, but the majority of their wealth was left behind. Liberio is as secure as we can make it, Your Grace."

Nodding again, Historia turned back to the Internment Zone, where her Titan eyes caught the flicker of a child in an alleyway, watching her with a mixture of awe, curiosity, and fear, and her heart clenched.

_He looks like he hasn't eaten in days._

Before long, the child's fear seemed to override his awe, and he quickly fled, so Historia turned back to the topic at hand. " **And what of the ghetto?"**

"Secure, Your Grace," Erwin replied. "No one's gone in or out since the guards surrendered, and my troops have gathered all the Eldians in the city to be brought back here."

Historia hummed. " **Good."**

Then the Founder reached forward, grasped the metal-wire gate in her hand, and ripped it off its hinges, and for the first time since its construction, the gates to the Internment Zone lay permanently open.

" **I'm going inside,"** she announced, to Erwin's unsurprised look, and he nodded. "I assume, in the absence of Miss Ackerman, you'll be wanting the 104th?"

" **Just a few. Jean, Armin, Sasha, Connie, and Ymir. No need to risk the rest."**

Erwin nodded and jumped off her shoulder, zipping away to the 104th's place in the vanguard column, and before long, the five soldiers she'd request came zipping back, landing on her shoulders as well.

"Your Majesty," Connie greeted, giving her a mocking bow, and Historia snorted, before pulling herself partially out of her Titan's nape. "Please don't. I have a reputation to maintain, damn it!"

"You know you love it," Ymir smirked from the side. "Your the Queen now, the Founder, the Ruler of of the Walls, the Empress of Eldia, _a Goddess amongst us unworthy mortals-!_ "

Historia shut the now-laughing Ymir up with a light snack to the head, and she huffed. "You spent to much time in that cult," she mumbled, only for the freckled girl to laugh louder. Besides her, the other person on Historia's shoulder seemed to be musing. "You know, she has a point."

"Gottverdammt, Jean, not you to."

The man chuckled in amusement before falling into an easy silence, something which was broken by Sasha. "So, uh… we gonna go in, or…?"

Historia blinked, the nodded. "Yes, we are. Everybody hop off, I'm going to exit my Titan." With that, she withdrew into the nape, and her friends departed from her shoulders, maneuvering onto the ghetto walls, and watched as Historia's Titan knelt before it began steaming, and the young Queen emerged yet again.

Having done that, she waved them over to the ground, and once her makeshift queensguard had assembled, Historia took a breath, stood still for a moment, before walking through the entrance and into the Internment Zone. As soon as she did so, her friends had already spread out in a semicircle, weapons at the ready to intercept any incoming enemies.

But none appeared, thank the Founder, so they continued on, the Queen taking the lead.

They made their way through the streets of Liberio's Internment Zone, weaving through buildings and warily glancing down alleyways. Historia moved forward with confidence, as if having a specific location in mind, which she did.

_Where is it? Eren said it would be around- Here!_

Stopping abruptly, Historia turned to face another set of (smaller) gates, which were open, leading to a courtyard and a clean-looking building. "Here we are."

Behind her, the pseudo-queensguard shared a look. "And where exactly is _here_ , Historia?" Jean asked, but he received no reply before Historia entered the courtyard, and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Royals, amirite?"

"She's the only royal you know, numbnut, besides the Suicidal Bastard," Ymir snarked from the side, following the Queen, and Jean frowned. "He doesn't count."

"Just because you had a crush on Mikasa doesn't mean you have to hate him," Sasha chipped in with a grin, and Jean groaned. "Let's just make sure Historia doesn't kill herself two hours into the campaign."

"It, uh… might be to late for that."

Connie's voice snapped them from their light conversations and immediately they focused on Historia.

And the man who had come out the door of the building before them.

* * *

Historia had been looking around the hospital's courtyard for patients when the building's door opened and closed rapidly, and she turned to find an elderly man approaching her calmly. Turning fully to meet him, the Queen of the Walls greeted him. "Hello, good sir. I assume you're one of the staff who work here."

The man nodded, stopping just at arms length from the Queen. "Yes, yes. I'm one of the doctors employed here." He was silent for a moment before continuing on. "I take it that the fighting is over, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. My forces now occupy the city."

The man's face darkened slightly, and Historia saw a bit of fear leak into his eyes. "Then my fears, and that of my colleagues have come true." He turned away then, to look around the courtyard, though never moving from his spot. "You were looking around as if searching for someone."

Historia raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, I was. This is an Eldian hospital, correct? I came looking for its patients."

"And that is why I was chosen to come out and meet you. I've come to ask you to spare those patients. They have done nothing against you, after all! There is no reason to kill them! All we do here is attempt to relieve them of their pain." And here, the man fell to his knees. "I beg of you, do not harm them, or my colleagues!"

The Queen was silent for a moment, eyeing the man, before she replied.

"You have my word."

The man blinked, so Historia continued.

"It was never my intention to hurt them, or the staff who treat them. The opposite, actually. I only ask that you open your doors."

The man watched her with wide eyes before bowing his head in relief. "...Thank you. You are kind, for a conqueror."

Historia shook her head. "I'm no conqueror. I've only come to retake what belongs to Eldia, nothing more." Offering her hand to the man, Historia waited for him to take it, and when he did, she helped him to his feet. "What is your name, doctor?

The man was silent for a moment before responding.

"...My name is Kirstoff. Most simply call me Doctor Jaeger."

* * *

The conqueror of Liberio froze, then, taking a surprised step back, and behind her, the soldiers who had accompanied her, Kristoff noticed, had similar looks of shock on their faces. _Do they recognize my name?_

Then the young woman regained herself and stepped forward, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out two letters.

"Kristoff Jaeger? Father of _Grisha_ Jaeger?" she asked, and this time it was Kristoff who froze, eyes wide and mouth agape.

"How- how do you-"

For so long, Kristoff and his wife had avoided speaking the names of their lost children. On the worst days, he would fall into an anguished state, sometimes ending up bedridden, though the last incident had been years ago, nearly two years after Grisha had been sentenced to wander Paradis for eternity.

"How do you know that name?" Kristoff managed to get out, voice shaky, and the young woman took another step forward. "It is because of him that I have my crown. It's because of him that I have my husband."

Then the woman extended her hand once more, the one grasping the envelopes, and Kristoff shakily took them, recognizing the handwriting that spelt his name on the envelope, and he stared. "This… this is…"

"He… said he would appreciate it if I gave these to you."

Kristoff stared. "My… my son… Grisha, he lives?"

The woman winced and her eyes turned away. "No, he does not." Then her eyes returned him. "But Grisha's son does."

_His son… surely they do not speak of Zeke… Could it be..?_

Casting the thought of another grandson alive aside, Kristoff fell into silence then as he gently pried the envelope open, the one marked with his name in his son's scrawl, and read what had been written on the letter within. His eyes slowly scanned the words his only son had written to him, and Doctor Jaeger wept silently.

Then he sealed the envelop once more and turned again to the woman, clutching the yet-unopened envelope meant for Estelle to his chest. "I... thank you," he whispered. The words Grisha had written to him sootherd his soul like a long-awaited balm, and he knew his wife would feel the same.

The woman only nodded. "You don't need to thank me, Lord Jaeger. We're family, after all." Then she flicked her gaze back to the hospital itself. "Though, I would appreciate it if you informed your colleagues that they have nothing to fear from us. I've come to heal you patients, not kill them."

Kristoff could only nodded again, mumble his thanks, before turning and walking away from the woman and back to the doors, which quickly opened and allowed him entry. As soon as said doors closed behind him, he was swamped by voices from his fellow Eldian practitioners, and it took some time for him to calm them down.

"I am fine," he assured them. "No harm will come to us. All they asks is that we open the doors and allow her to see the patients."

At that announcement, there were several protests, but in the end, what could they do? Even those few soldiers outside could overwhelm them if they wished, and the only soldiers they had within the hospital were the ones that had been sent home from the eastern front.

So reluctantly, the doors were opened, and the conquerors were let in.

And then Kristoff witnessed a miracle.

* * *

Watching Historia use the powers of the Founding Titan had always been something Ymir had enjoyed.

Everywhere the Queen of the Walls went, the many patients of the hospital were healed of their afflictions. Limbs were regrown. Men and women were brought back to sanity from lucid states. Soldiers awoke from pain-induced comas. Illnesses that ravaged at the body were vanquished- all at the Founder's command.

And every single time she did this, Historia made sure to go up to the recently-healed and talk, at least for a little bit, to explain what had happened, just like the day she had given Ymir back her life. It was those small, minuscule things that made Ymir so devoted to the blonde (she was a firm devotee of the Hisu-sect back on Paradis), the actions she took to make life for her people as comfortable as possible, though she never would have guessed from the stories the 104th threw around from their years in the Kadettenkorps.

_From what I heard, you'd think that she's nothing but a block of ice..._

Regardless, that alleged persona of Historia was nowhere to be seen at the moment as she tended to the shocked patients who had regained their faculties. Ymir, along with the others, watched carefully as Historia sent the newly-heald on their way, out of the med-bays and back to their families if they resided in Liberio, to the increasing shock of the hospital staff. Ymir thought that the old man the Queen had been talking to earlier might faint, though that sentiment could be applied to almost everyone in the hospital save the Queen and her queensguard themselves.

Eventually, however, all the patients were healed and had left, either for home or simply to flee from the angel that had healed them, though that had been expected. Historia spoke again to the old man (Jaeger's _grandfather_ , she still could barely believe) and the other hospital workers, something that Ymir didn't bother to listen in on (if the Queen wanted her to know, she'd know), before turning on her heel and marching out the door, through the still-empty courtyard, and out of the hospital grounds. Seemingly picking a direction to walk in, Historia began to move down the street, followed by Ymir and the others after sharing a confused look.

"Uh, Historia?" Sasha asked, "Where exactly are we going? You've kinda been quiet for a while now…"

The Queen stopped, blinked, then turned back around to face them, a sheepish expression on her face. "Ah, sorry about that. Just have a lot on my mind." She was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "Today's been a really long day, and it's not over yet."

Besides Ymir, Jean raised an eyebrow. "What do you have left to do, anyways? You came here to deliver that letter to Eren's gramps, right?"

"That was one part of it, yeah. But, there's still one more thing I need to do." With that, the Queen of the Walls began moving forward again, a determined fire blazing in her eyes.

"I have a speech to give."

* * *

**Information Bracket**

_Overview of the Vermessungkorps_

**Objective(s):** To reconquer the lands that once belonged to the Eldian Empire and to recapture the lost Titan Powers

**Head of Branch:** Feldmarschall Erwin Smith

**Manpower:** Unsure, at least over a million men and women

**Notable Subdivisions:**

\- The 104th Royal Battalion

\- Levi Squad

**Standard Equipment:**

\- Anti-Urban Omni Maneuver Gear

\- Mauser C96 firearms

\- Ultrahard-steel chestplate

**Additional Equipment:**

\- Motorcycles

\- Thunder Spears

\- Anti-Titan Maneuver Gear

\- Experimental Armored Vehicles

**Additional Information:**

The Survey Corps were first military branch to throw their support behind Queen Historia in the Eldian Civil War.

* * *

_**A/N: Might add to the information bracket later.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll edit this later, methinks.


	5. A Grave Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley's military prepare to react to the attack on Liberio, and Historia interrupts yet another speech.

" _Are you ready, Historia?"_

" _As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." A laugh. "I've been preparing for this speech for almost four years and I'm still nervous."_

" _Don't think to much about it. You'll do fine." A pause. "Seems like I have to go." See you soon. Tell her I said hello." A quick kiss, then he was gone, and Historia gave a wistful smile._

" _See you soon, Eren."_

_Then the Queen of the Walls took a breath, steeled her resolve, and spoke._

* * *

**_Jahr Unseres Gründers c.854_ **

**_Ul'uma, Protectorate of Sala-Adhiin_ **

The mood was a somber one.

When news of the attack on Liberio was made clear to the rest of the army (though most of the army remained clueless as to _who_ had attacked them), preparations for returning to the fatherland was sped up with all haste. The Überozeanflotte set sail from Port Slava back up the eastern coast of Marley within an hour after the Oberkommando meeting, moving to deal with their new enemies having dealt with their Eastern ones.

_Though, the Easterners aren't the only enemies we have to deal with,_ Annie thought, smoldering. The holder of the Female Titan was not alone in her rage- the anger she held was shared by many of the others in the Warrior Unit and the army as a whole- after all, how could they not, with the Mid-East Alliance getting away from this practically scot-free?

As it had turned out, as soon as the attack had been made known to them, the Grand Vizier of the Osmanli Empire moved to confront the Oberkommando on it, and threatened to continue the war if the reparations in the war-end agreement were not abolished, and, not wishing to have an enemy at their backs with the fatherland under direct assault, Oberbefehlshaber Calvi and the rest of the top-brass had given in to their demands, relinquishing their claims on not only Fort Slava and its territories, but every nation conquered in the war between Slava and Malik. In the stroke of a pen, several small enemy nations that had taken Marley four years to bring to heel and had cost hundreds of thousands of lives instantly regained their autonomy, albeit as protectorates of Marley.

But, that was the least of their concerns at the moment.

The Große Armee of Marley had marched of Slava that very day to the patronizing cheers of the the port city's inhabitants, somehow denied the victory that they had spent years fighting for thanks to a hated enemy striking directly into the heart of their great nation.

Marley had won the War in the East, only for another one to spark right at home.

Morale was as low as the fear running rampant throughout the army was high when the army finally completed its march back into (semi) friendly territory a day later, entering the city of Ul'uma where they would rest for several hours before taking the trans-continental railroad back to Marley.

But, instead of being allowed their promised rest, almost every soldier had been gathered here, in the city's military-parade courtyard, awaiting a speech from the Oberbefehlshaber. Which was understandable, given the circumstances. The army was in dire need of a morale boost. _Helos knows Oberbefehlshaber_ _Calvi needs to address the situation… But Gottverdamnt, couldn't he have chosen a day when it wasn't scorching hot out?! It's been nearly an hour!_ Annie was patient (to a degree), but she was on a thirteen-year life limit and she had little desire to spend it standing in one place burning in an Eastern heatwave.

Besides her, Annie could hear the holder of the Armored Titan grumble something under his breath about the heat, and, wishing to vent her increasing frustrations at anything, chose to turn her head slightly to him. "Think quieter, Reiner. It's annoying."

He shot Annie an irritated look. "Stop eavesdropping then, Annie." She hadn't intentionally done that of course, both of them knew, but Annie was far to aggravated to care at the moment.

The Kriegerin Einheit had been standing at attention at the front of the Eldian segment of the assembled soldiers, being their pride and joy as the only Honorary Marleyans of the bunch. And, while Annie did in fact take her due pride (mild, mind you, but pride nonetheless- she had worked hard to get here) in the fact, there was only so long a person could stand in Eastern weather such as this before they began to wish for the sweet release of water- even a Shifter.

So, already wishing she could smash Reiner's mug in, Annie opened her mouth to shoot back a barb, only to fall silent when the Warchief spoke up. "Quiet, both of you," Zeke hissed. "It's starting."

The sound of footsteps rang loudly across the parade grounds as, from the great estate before them, the doors opened and the Oberbefehlshaber, along with the members of the Oberkommando who hadn't immediately rushed back to Hauptstadt, strode onto the balcony overlook the army. There was silence for a moment as the Calvi watched them quietly before the Supreme Commander spoke.

"Today is a grave day for Marley," Calvi's voice rang. "Not just for our great nation but for the world- for our greatest fears have been realized. The Eldian Empire has returned!"

The silence remained just a moment longer before the Große Armee broke into shouts and cries, and Annie unconsciously let her ring-blade out. _I'm not quiet liking how the other battalions are looking at us…_

Besides and behind her, Annie's fellow Eldians seemed to agree with the sentiment. Her fellow Warriors were tense, standing still and doing their best to give no sign of descent. Zeke seemed to have angled his glasses into a perfect position where the sun's light hid his eyes. Marcel and Reiner's faces had seemingly turned to stone. Marcel had his signature calm aura surrounding him, and Pieck her usual relaxed faced. Annie herself did her best to maintain her usual dead-eyed stare she'd spent so long perfecting, and as far as the Shifter could tell, she was rather successful.

Besides Colt, however, the Kriegerin Kadets and the Heirs were not so quiet.

Annie immediately tuned them out, knowing that Gabi would, or course, make a fuss about declaring her undying loyalty to the fatherland. _Poor girl. She really believes everything she's been told._ Though, to be fair, that applied to most of her fellow Warriors, didn't it?

She could already hear the shouts and whispers of the Eldians behind her, some cursing the Island Devils, others begging for mercy.

Which suddenly got Annie thinking.

_How long will we keep our ranks if other Eldians are attacking Marley? Will the brass stand for it? What happens if they don't?_

...No, that was a stupid question with an easy answer; their Titans will be revoked, their families killed or imprisoned, and the works.

Annie's fist clenched.

So caught up in her own thoughts was the holder of the Female Titan that she almost missed it when Calvi began speaking again.

"...The Island Devils, from our information, attacked Liberio in a dishonorable night attack, sinking the ships stationed there and utterly annihilated its garrison!"

Oddly enough, Annie only felt relief at the Supreme Commander's words. _Thank Gott that the Oberkommando were so insistent on moving our parents away from the coast… at least the Easterners were good for something._

"Rest assured, our great nation will not take this lying down! Already, a great host is being assembled in out homeland, and with them, we shall throw these Devils back into the see whence they came!"

Calvi's announcement was met with cheers and warcries, and the loudest came from the Eldians. Even Annie joined in, saluting along with the rest of her comrades and crying out her loyalty to the fatherland (because if they did not then they would die and so would their families).

The Oberbefehlshaber raised his arms high, and his voice grew louder, more fanatic. "We shall through these Devils back to the sea, and do to their Paradis as they have done to us! _We will destroy their ports one by one, we will raze their cities and sow the earth with salt, and we shall crush their demon-spawn underfoot! We will fill the rivers with their dead!_ _NEVER AGAIN WILL THEY RISE AGAINST US,"_ Calvi screamed, " _FOR WE SHALL TRAMPLE THEM INTO DUST, AND MARLEY WILL REIGN FOR_ _ **ETERNITY!**_ "

Amidst the fanatical cheering that roared across the parade grounds, Annie had to admit that the Oberbefehlshaber knew how to sway a crowd. _I kind of feel sorry for them. Those Walldians don't stand a cha-_

* * *

**_J_** **_ahr Unseres Gründers c.??? ???_ **

**_??? ???_ **

" _Was zur Hölle?!_ The fuck?!"

This wasn't Ul'uma.

Though the people that stood besides and behind her remained the same, the surroundings did not.

Few things frightened Annie. Those few things usually involved her father being sent to Paradis for one reason or other, or being accused of treason and being tortured to death by the Public Security Authorities.

Being suddenly transported to a grassy plain bordering a calm beach with a massive tree looming in the distance was not one of her usual fears.

No, Annie was not afraid.

She was fucking _terrified._

Which is why she went into instant-survival mode, immediately moving from where she had been standing and flattening herself on the grass, minimizing herself in the eyes of any enemy. Out of the corner her her eye, she saw most of her fellow Warriors doing the same, with the exception of Reiner and Marcel, who had immediately moved to protect their siblings from any potential dangers, and--

" _Annie?"_

The Shifter instantly leapt up from where she was laying, her ring-blade slashing a bloody line across her palm, only to freeze when she saw who had called to her.

"Bertholdt?"

Her fellow Warrior, one who she hadn't seen in the better part of four years and who was supposed to be stationed half the globe away from Ul'uma, jogged over to her, panic in his eyes, and Annie, relieved to see a familiar face, pulled her friend into a quick hug.

"Bertholdt," she spoke when she pulled away from him, "what the hell are you doing here? Weren't you in the Meiriceás?"

The holder of the Colossal nodded, a frown crossing his face. "I was, yeah. Then, all of a sudden, I was here."

Annie's eyes narrowed. _Somethi_ _ng isn't right here. We were on opposite sides of the world yet here we are, talking. How are we-_

And then, suddenly, noise.

* * *

**"HEAR ME, SUBJECTS OF YMIR!"**

**... I've come to tell you a story."**

**A hundred years ago, at the height of the civil unrest that had Eldia in its vice-grip, a tragedy befell our people."**

**You know one version of this tale, the version that your captors have force-fed you for generations."**

**I have come to tell you that what they have told you is false."**

**There was no Helos. There was no Devil of All Earth."**

**There was only a Traitor Lord and a Coward King, and together, they plotted the downfall and demise of the Eldian people."**

**Karl Fritz and Elias Tybur! Together, they set the stage for the Great Titan War, and amidst the great battles that tore Eldia asunder, stole the Titans away from their Lords and gifted them to our ancient enemy of Marley! Whilst the Great Houses fought amongst themselves in the chaos that followed, Marley regained its strength and marched on Eldia, crushing our people underfoot and enslaving us once again, just as their ancient empire did our ancestors."**

**Then the Coward King left, taking tens of thousands, yet leaving untold millions of our brothers and sisters behind to suffer for his sins."**

**And since then, we've waited."**

**For one hundred years, we have watched, helpless to do anything but. We watched as Udynel fell, when the last Lord Protector met his end beneath the Warhammer. We watched as the first and only Eldian rebellion failed, and the ringleaders were burned alive."**

**We watched as your overlords sentenced hundreds of thousands of Eldians to wander the sands of Paradise in eternal torture. We watched as the other nations of the world treated our people as little more than cattle, lambs to the slaughter!"**

**But now, our watch has ended."**

**For one hundred years, we've waited. We prepared. We grew stronger. While Marley rested in their cradle of power, believing that our people would remain cowed until they decided to come for us, we rebuilt our armies, strengthened our walls, and readied ourselves for the coming conflict. They believed that the time to fear Eldia had passed."**

**They were wrong."**

**Marley assumed no force could challenge them, and yet, here Eldia stands, the strongest we've been in a century!"**

**...**

**We abandoned you, all those years ago. I hate that the blood of the Coward King runs through my veins, but it's true. For that, I am truly sorry."**

**But, we've come to make amends."**

**We've come to set you _free_."**

**I know we have out differences. I know you see us as the Devils you need dead to have the world recognize your worth, but… Despite that, I want to ensure our future, together! I want to build a future where my children can live without the scorn of being Eldian! I want to build a future where all races can walk side by side!"**

**...**

**However, the world wishes for the annihilation of the people of Eldia, and none clamor for it more than the Marley."**

**Which is why, this part of my message is not to you, Children of Ymir."**

**But to you _Tyburs_ , who sit within your fancy estates and lofty manses with the comforts that were built off the blood of Eldia. To the enemy Shifters who hold the Titans of our ancestors and use them in service of our enemies!"**

**Hear me now, and hear me well."**

**My name is Historia Reiss, and I am the Queen of the Walls. I rule the lands of Paradise, the last bastion of Eldia since the fall of Udynel. The last place in the world where Eldians live free."**

**We have returned."**

**You're penance begins** _**now**_ **."**

**The Reconquest has begun!"**

**And I swear to all of you, that I will not stop until the people of Eldia are united once more!"**

**So long as there are those who wish to deny this wish, then we shall fight!** _**I**_ **will fight!"**

_**"I'll keep moving forward-"** _

_**"-until ALL MY ENEMIES ARE DESTROYED!"** _

…

**_P̵̹͋R̸͉̅Ȇ̷͖P̷̫̑A̷̧͘R̷̥͛E̶̙͂ ̵̣̊_ ** **_Ȳ̵̨Ó̶̘U̴͎͑Ṟ̵͒S̸̛͜E̴̛ͅL̵̗͌F̵̫͝,̸̧̉._ **

* * *

**Information Bracket**

_Overview of the "Empire" of Marley_

**Head(s) of State:**

H̶e̶r̶r̶ ̶W̶i̶l̶h̶e̶l̶m̶ ̶T̶y̶b̶u̶r̶ Chancellor Edel Freidrick

**Other known people of interest:**

Calvi Freisler - Oberbefehlshaber (Supreme Commander)

Christoff Straus - Hochadmiral (High Admiral)

Seigmund Henze - Kommandeur des Hilfsbataillons (Auxiliary Battalion Commander)

Lukas Emmhan - Artillerie-Oberst (Artillery Colonel)

Theo Magath - Kriegerin Kommandat (Warrior Commander)

Wilhelm Tybur - Herr Tybur (Lord Tybur)

Zeke Jaeger - Kriegschef (War-Chief), Beast Titan

Reiner Braun - Vice-Kommandant, Kriegerin (Warrior), Armored Titan

Annie Leonhart - Kriegerin (Warrior), Female Titan

Bertholdt Hoover - Kriegerin (Warrior), Colossal Titan

Peick Finger - Kriegerin (Warrior), Cart Titan

Marcel Galliard - Vice-Kommandant, Kriegerin (Warrior) Jaws Titan

Porco Galliard - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to The Jaw

Colt Grice - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to The Beast

Gabi Braun - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to The Armor

Falco Grice - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to The Cart

Zofia Letzel - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to The Female

Udo Bach - Kriegerin (Warrior), Heir to the Colossal

**Objectives:**

-The maintaining of Marleyan global supremacy

\- The defeat of the Mid-East Alliance

\- The annexation of key territories in the Valantar Peninsula

\- The acquisition of the Founding Titan

\- The acquisition of natural resource deposits on Paradis Island

\- The destruction of the Island Devils

\- T̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶s̶s̶-̶g̶e̶n̶o̶c̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶E̶l̶d̶i̶a̶n̶ ̶R̶a̶c̶e̶

**Branches of the Armed Forces:**

\- Die Große Armee (The Grand Army)

\- Überozeanflotte (Over-Seas Navy)

\- Kriegerin Einheit (Warrior Unit)

\- Behörden für öffentliche Sicherheit (Public Secuity Resources)

\- Riese Biologie-Forschungsgesellschaft (The Titan Biology Research Society)

**Further assets:**

\- The Beast Titan

\- The Armored Titan

\- The Female Titan

\- The Colossal Titan

\- The Jaws Titan

\- The Cart Titan

\- The Warhammer Titan

**Official Allies:**

\- The Nation of Manzhōu

\- The Kingdom of Ikhala

\- The Empire of Umambo

\- The Paramountcy of Nyumbani

\- Various protectorates

\- Various colonies

**Unofficial Allies:**

\- Various anti-Eldian groups/coalitions

**Threats:**

\- The Mid-East Alliance

\- The Kingdom of Paradis Island/Remnant Empire of Eldia

\- The Hizurese Empire

\- The Founding Titan

**Faction Cohesion:**

Decent.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Something about the chapter bothers me, it's just that I'm not sure what. I'll probably fix/add more to it later, but I just need to get this done with.


	6. Journey To The East

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peak into the Far East.

_**Jahr Unseres Gründers c.854** _

_**Qing Province, Coastal Manzhōu** _

Dai Mheng was bored.

When he had enlisted into the Imperial Armies of Heaven, the Manchuri man had expected to be deployed westward to the border provinces, seeing as the the War in the East could potentially spill over into the lands of the Yujiin Dynasty. He had expected, should such a thing occur, grand battles against the Mid-Easterners. He had expected glory, prestige. Dai had expected to return home having made a name for himself, fighting for the glory of the Yujinn Dynasty and the Emperor on the Dragon Throne who ruled it!

What Dai had _not_ expected, or wanted, for that matter, was to be relegated to the position of a glorified sentry, one amongst the thousands tasked with fortifying the Divine State's costal territories from… well, _nothing,_ really. The various Mancherese ethnicities of the region remained steadfast in their devotion to the Emperor, the Hizurese population had been pacified for eighty years and knew better than to attempt any sort of rebellion, and the Subatii tribes of the Great Southern Snows tended to raid directly north into Central Manzhōu when they weren't busy fighting each other or the Shān-rén further to the west.

In short, there was no glory to be gained here. The only there was to be gained was the innate boredom, and Dai had that in droves. Lin-Jien was a peaceful city for the most part, and any criminal activity was dealt with quickly by the local law-enforcers, leaving the soldiers with nothing to do but spend their wages on back-ally men, women, and the city's best drinking bars, among other things. Dai would admit, those two things made his station a tad bit more worth it, as well as all the writing he'd done about his lackluster experiences in the army, but there was only so much one could take before it became repetitive.

Yet, with news filtering down the ranks that Marley was, once again, triumphing against her enemies, it became common knowledge that the war would be over before the year's end. And, when the prediction came true at last, the garrison of Lie-Jien, along with Dai himself, raised a toast to their great ally in the west when the word came of the Mid-East Alliance's defeat at Fort Slava before returning to the barracks to pack up. After all, with the War in the East done (what a stupid name that was, seeing as the Orient was the only East that existed in Dai's eyes) there was no need to keep the full might of the Heavenly Armies on standby in case the war somehow managed to spill into the Raaj and over the mountain domains of the Shān-rén.

Or, at least, what was the general train of thought within the barracks, which vanished just as abruptly as the sudden call for inspection was given.

It was during that inspection that Dai learned something that floored him.

The Hizurese were rebelling.

"As it would seem," Dai's commanding officer spoke, "the Hizurese have decided to shun and degenerate the light of the Dragon Throne, and have consequently raised their banners against the Emperor. For their insolence, we shall march to their 'stronghold' and raze it to the ground, with the rebels still within! Treason against the Divine State is to be punished with death, and we shall give it to them!"

_By the gods, this is it!_

Dai cheered alongside his fellow soldiers and grinned. At last, a chance for glory! Instead of returning home empty handed with naught but the wages he had earned whilst being idle, he would return having upholded the Mandate of the Emperor to his best.

Of course, marching to the rebel stronghold was just as dull as waiting for something to happen. Due to the how large the Heavenly Armies were, a good chunk of it remained un-modernized with the best technology of the era- at least, when it came to vehicle transport. Dai, unfortunately, was in the part of the army that had been left dry, seeing as the Jade Court had prioritized modernizing the armies in the border provinces first, and for good reason.

Not that it made marching by foot less tiring, but, well, what was there to be done? Turn back and go home? No, that was not an option that Dai would entertain. _For the Emperor. For Yujin!_

And Dai marched on.

* * *

They had been marching for several, rainy days when Dai saw him.

Rumors had began to filter down the ranks once more as the army began seeing more and more Manchuri fleeing west from the rebels, who had apparently managed to take two more towns along the coast and the city of Wuxian, somehow. Their commander had increased their marching time at that news, so on they went, stopping not even when it began raining. At the very least, they weren't tramping over mud. _I much prefer the hills to the mud-_

Then Dai stopped, catching something out of the corner of his eye, and he turned.

There, on a nearby hill, sitting atop an armored steed, sat a man in an outdated set of Hizurese armor, watching them silently.

The Manchuri man stood there a moment, stunned. _A rebel?! What's a lone one doing here?!_

Then he noticed the banner the man bore, and his blood froze.

_Oh gods._

_I know that banner._

Dai knew that symbol, of course he did. Every child worth a decent education knew that symbol meant, who it represented. The bane of the Dragon Throne, the wives' tale used to keep wayward children in line, the very lineage that Manzhōu had seen extinguished during the Invasion of the Islands decades ago.

Three curved, black blades set in a triangle, surrounded by a circle on a red field.

Dai felt fear unlike any he had felt before.

_The Shogun._

_Heaven preserve us, the Shogun_ _**lives.**_

By now, Dai was not the only one to notice the _bushi_ watching them, judging from the way alarmed cries were springing up from across the ranks, but that did not soothe him.

For the mounted warrior unsheathed a curved blade, raising it into the air momentarily before pointing it at the columns of Manchuri soldiers.

And, to Dai's horror, the samurai screamed two, dreaded words.

" _ **TENNOHEIKA BANZAI!**_ "

Then the Shogun charged, and the might of Hizuru followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sneak peak into the going-on's in the Orient. It's a bit short since it was supposed to lead directly into another segment of a chapter, but it didn't fit. So, here you go.
> 
> EDIT: Right, forgot that the Ackermans weren't originally of Hizurese descent. Fixed.


End file.
